# Google Custom Search API

5 Hacker News commenters recommended Google Custom Search API and 8 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Developers use it to pull Google search results into their own programs. Critics say pricing jumped and terms now restrict automated use and reuse of results.

## Why people recommend it

- Official access to Google search data (2 comments): "we waited 30+ years for Google to do the right thing and just start giving us an API to their search data" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49875977)) "The SerpAPI, Google Custom Search API, etc. exist for a reason" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46971879))
- Works well, cheaper than recruiters (1 comments): "Worked a treat and was cheaper than recruiter" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46908135))

## What people warn about

- Confusing, expensive paid tiers (3 comments): "the $35,000 they want to continue usage of my < 1000 personal searches per month, not going to happen" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49291349)) "Google now wants $30,000 a month for customsearch (minimum charge)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47076270)) "a Byzantine maze to pay for more than the free version" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46226633))
- Results restricted to display only (2 comments): "if re-ranking is regarded as processing & analyzing, then I'll remove the Google API calls now" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49301159)) "Can't use the results for anything other than showing them as-is on a results page." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49075457))
- Access cut off for automation (2 comments): "Now that data is a commodity directly tied into the AI arms race, they killed" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47954467)) "If I want to use google search in an automated way google does not want it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47110670))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Exa](https://hackerapproved.com/p/exa.md): 33 recommend
- [SerpApi](https://hackerapproved.com/p/serpapi.md): 16 recommend
- [Brave Search API](https://hackerapproved.com/p/brave-search-api.md): 15 recommend
- [DeepSeek search API](https://hackerapproved.com/p/deepseek-search-and-fetch.md): 15 recommend
- [Kagi Search API](https://hackerapproved.com/p/kagi-search-api.md): 10 recommend

## Where to get it

- [Visit the official site](https://developers.google.com/custom-search/v1/overview)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Google Custom Search API", https://hackerapproved.com/p/google-search-api/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).